By Diana Novak Jones and Andrew Goudsward
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin, Dec 15 (Reuters) – A Wisconsin judge will go on trial on Monday on charges of helping a migrant appearing in her courtroom evade an immigration arrest, a case that will test President Donald Trump’s efforts to punish alleged obstructions of his mass deportation efforts.
Opening statements are scheduled on Monday as Hannah Dugan, an elected judge on the Milwaukee County Circuit Court, faces federal charges accusing her of concealing a person from arrest and obstructing federal proceedings. Dugan has pleaded not guilty to the charges, brought by Trump’s Justice Department.
The rare trial of a sitting judge reflects tensions over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, including positioning federal agents in courthouses to make arrests. The Justice Department has directed prosecutors to investigate activists and officials it accuses of hindering immigration operations.
The case against Dugan stems from an April 18 incident in which a group of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies planned to arrest a migrant from Mexico set to appear in Dugan’s Milwaukee courtroom on domestic violence charges.
ALLEGED DIVERSION OF FEDERAL AGENTS
The indictment alleges Dugan diverted the agents away from the hallway where law enforcement planned to arrest the man, identified as Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, after the hearing. It also accuses her of escorting Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out of the courtroom through a non-public door after privately addressing his case.
Flores-Ruiz walked through a public hallway and was arrested following a brief pursuit outside the courthouse, according to court documents.
Dugan has been suspended from judicial duties by Wisconsin’s top court while the case unfolds.
Prosecutors must show that Dugan acted corruptly to impede Flores-Ruiz’s arrest. In court filings, they cited witnesses describing Dugan becoming “visibly angry” when she learned ICE agents were outside her courtroom and falsely telling law enforcement they needed a judicial warrant to carry out an arrest.
JUDGE SAYS SHE FOLLOWED POLICY
Lawyers for Dugan plan to tell the jury she followed courthouse policies directing staff to alert a supervisor about the presence of ICE agents and had acted in good faith after two prior immigration arrests in the courthouse drew controversy, according to court filings.
The Trump administration has loosened restrictions on immigration enforcement operations at local courthouses as part of a push to deport millions of migrants living illegally in the U.S.
Many advocates and some judges have condemned the practice, arguing it dissuades people from seeking justice in courts and risks undermining public trust in the legal system.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones and Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone and David Gregorio)
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